Barry and Larry: Pianist Barry Harris and Saxophonist Larry McKenna

Sunday, February 8, 2015, 4:00 pm

Shea Center for Performing Arts

*3:00 p.m. Sittin’ In Meet-the-Artist Session
General Admission $15 • William Paterson faculty, staff, alumni, and senior citizens $12 • non-William Paterson students $8
$3 fee added on tickets purchased on show day
William Paterson students admitted free with show of valid I.D.

Piano legend Barry Harris returns to the Jazz Room stage, joined by the veteran tenorist Larry McKenna in a night of bebop and standards. Barry’s legacy comes as much from his decades of teaching as from his historic playing career, and his return represents a much-awaited reconnection to William Paterson’s talented jazz students. Saxophonist McKenna is a veteran of Woody Herman’s band and a legend in his own right, having played for decades with Buddy DeFranco, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Clark Terry, Jon Faddis and many more.

A Valentine’s Day Celebration
Jazz and Blues Singer Catherine Russell

Saturday, February 14, 2015, 8:00 pm*

Shea Center for Performing Arts

Admission: $60.00 onstage seat with dinner and dessert buffet plus open beer-and-wine bar* • $25.00 show only
*For dinner ticketholders, please arrive by 6:30 p.m. to enjoy the full dinner service and open bar.

Grammy-award winner Catherine Russell was born into jazz royalty – her father, Luis Russell, was Louis Armstrong’s musical director, and mother, Carline Ray was a well-known bassist and vocalist. Catherine has toured the world and recorded and performed with Steely Dan, David Bowie, Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper, Jackson Browne, Michael Feinstein, Levon Helm, and Rosanne Cash. She’s considered one of the greatest interpreters of the American Songbook. Most recently, she won a Grammy as a featured artist on the soundtrack for HBO’s hit series Boardwalk Empire. Catherine brings her amazing voice to the Shea Center in a romantic Valentine’s celebration.

Sunday, February 22, 2015, 4:00 pm

Shea Center for Performing Arts

*3:00 p.m. Sittin’ In Meet-the-Artist Session
General Admission $15 • William Paterson faculty, staff, alumni, and senior citizens $12 • non-William Paterson students $8
$3 fee added on tickets purchased on show day
William Paterson students admitted free with show of valid I.D.

Shea Center for Performing Arts

*3:00 p.m. Sittin’ In Meet-the-Artist Session
General Admission $15 • William Paterson faculty, staff, alumni, and senior citizens $12 • non-William Paterson students $8
$3 fee added on tickets purchased on show day
William Paterson students admitted free with show of valid I.D.

Oscar Hernandez, pianist, leader and founder of the Grammy-winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra, joins Chico Mendoza and this year’s small-group version of the WP Latin Jazz Ensemble in a concert of Latin standards and original compositions that will create a powerful set. Hernandez has performed with such Latin music giants as Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Julio Iglesias, Willie Colón, and has produced best-selling recordings for Rubén Blades, Daniel Ponce, Eddie Torres and others, while his piano has been heard on a number of albums with the great Ray Barretto and many more.

Clarinetist/Saxophonist Anat Cohen

Sunday, March 1, 2015, 4:00 pm

Anat Cohen’s music has no boundaries. Her clarinet and saxophone adapt easily to the worlds of swing, jazz, klezmer, Brazilian music, and more. Her performance showcases her versatility and wonderful stage presence, making Anat one of the most in-demand artists on the New York Jazz scene.

Trumpeter Bria Skonberg

Friday, March 6, 2015, 8:00 pm

Shea Center for Performing Arts

*7:00 p.m. Sittin’ In Meet-the-Artist Session
General Admission $15 • William Paterson faculty, staff, alumni, and senior citizens $12 • non-William Paterson students $8
$3 fee added on tickets purchased on show day
William Paterson students admitted free with show of valid I.D.

The young trumpeter Bria Skonberg has created something of a jazz sensation through her early dedication and modern interpretation to the music and style of Louis Armstrong. She has collaborated with Wycliffe Gordon, Warren Vaché, Victor Goines, John Pizzarelli and others, and has been hailed as “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” by the Wall Street Journal.

EaglemaniaThe World's Greatest Eagles Tribute Band!

Saturday, March 7, 2015, 8:00 pm

Eaglemania isn't just some Eagles cover band, they are "THE" tribute band, faithfully recreating heartfelt ballads and famous guitar and vocal harmonies that made the Eagles so great. This ensemble of veteran musicians perform all of the Eagles' monster hits including Hotel California, Desperado, Tequila Sunrise, I Can't Tell You Why, In The City, and more, as well as songs from Don Henley, Glen Frey, and Joe Walsh’s solo albums. Playing all the songs that we love to hear, Eaglemania is fully committed to giving their audience a perfect show every time they take the stage. Their attention to detail and ability to reproduce the Eagles exactly creates a concert experience that fans won't soon forget.

As seen on NBC's America's Got TalentArcAttack – Tesla Coil Music

Sunday, March 8, 2015, 2:00 pmPreshow activities start at 1:15 pm

Shea Center for Performing Arts

Admission: Adults $15.00 • Children $12.00

The crew of ArcAttack deploy their wizardry to generate a truly 'electrifying' performance through the use of homemade, high-tech instruments like their custom build "singing" Tesla coils which have been modified to play musical notes, and more traditional instruments such as guitar and bass. Part rock concert, part science experiment…the creators of ArcAttack take us behind the spectacle as one brave stunt man displays the wonderment of their musical machines, and further explore concepts such as electricity, voltage and current, magnetism, robotics, and lightning in a show that's both entertaining and engaging.

Les Yeux Noirs: Gypsy Klezmer

Sunday, March 15, 2015, 8:00 pm

Shea Center for Performing Arts

Admission: TBA

Dynamic Paris-based sextet led by two fiddling brothers fuses klezmer, Yiddish music, manouche gypsy jazz, and rock’n’roll with uniquely French panache.
“Exuberant joy that had the crowd on its feet, sharing one big smile.” Maui News

Saturday, March 28, 2015, 8:00 pm

Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes first achieved prominence in the mid-1970's, emerging from the same New Jersey Shore music scene as his now legendary contemporary and friend Bruce Springsteen. With their classic blend of hard-core R&B and street-level rock, molten grooves, soulful guitar licks and blistering horn section, Johnny and the Jukes continue to put their unique stamp on the Jersey Shore sound.

The Lou Donaldson Quartet

Sunday, March 29, 2015*, 4:00 pm*Makeup date from November 23, 2014-Tickets from that date will be honored.

Shea Center for Performing Arts

*3:00 p.m. Sittin’ In Meet-the-Artist Session
General Admission $15 • William Paterson faculty, staff, alumni, and senior citizens $12 • non-William Paterson students $8
$3 fee added on tickets purchased on show day
William Paterson students admitted free with show of valid I.D.

Lou Donaldson is one of the living legends of the alto saxophone, gaining a well-deserved reputation for being one of the leaders in blending the great traditions of blues and bebop. Donaldson’s career includes a long list of collaborations, tours and recordings with a who’s-who of major jazz artists including Philly Joe Jones, Clifford Brown, Thelonious Monk, and Milt Jackson. His exciting, long-awaited Jazz Room concert will demonstrate that his technical prowess and blues power have not lessened by age.

Amy Helm and The Handsome Strangers plus Yarn

Friday, April 10, 2015, 8:00 pm*

Shea Center for Performing Arts

Admission: $55.00 onstage seat with dinner and dessert buffet plus open beer-and-wine bar* • $30.00 show only
*For dinner ticketholders, please arrive by 6:30 p.m. to enjoy the full dinner service and open bar.

Amy Helm’s deep musical roots were enriched by a lifetime of exposure to the finest expressions of American musical tradition. The daughter of music legend Levon Helm, she wields a powerful voice that can both stir and soothe, whether she is singing traditional gospel, blues standards or her own heartfelt compositions.
The Grammy-nominated roots band, Yarn, will open the evening.

The Doo Wop Project
Featuring Stars from Jersey Boys and Motown the Musical

Saturday, April 11, 2015, 8:00 pm

Shea Center for Performing Arts

Admission: Orchestra $30.00 • Loge $25.00

Featuring current and former stars of Broadway’s smash hits Jersey Boys and Motown: The Musical, The Doo Wop Project traces the evolution of the music from the groups like the Crests, the Belmonts, and Flamingos, through their influences on the sounds of Smokey Robinson, the Temptations, and the Four Seasons, all the way to Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse.

Organist Rhoda Scott with the William Paterson Jazz Orchestra

Sunday, April 12, 2015, 7:30 pm

Shea Center for Performing Arts

*6:30 p.m. Sittin’ In Meet-the-Artist Session
General Admission $15 • William Paterson faculty, staff, alumni, and senior citizens $12 • non-William Paterson students $8
$3 fee added on tickets purchased on show day
William Paterson students admitted free with show of valid I.D.

Newark native and historic organist Rhoda Scott combines with the exciting WP Jazz Orchestra to re-create Rhoda’s historic 1976 collaboration with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, In New York. This legendary recording featured an album’s worth of original arrangements by Thad Jones, many based on Rhoda’s wonderful original compositions. These long-lost arrangements were donated several years ago by Scott to the Thad Jones Archive at William Paterson University, and the high-energy band will be playing from those rarely heard manuscripts.

Glen Burtnik’s Summer of Love Concert
The Music of the Woodstock Generation

Saturday, May 9, 2015, 8:00 pm

The Summer of Love Concert, a tribute to the music of the Woodstock Generation, returns to the Shea Center along with the famous Pig Light Show. Whether this is your third year with us or your first, you'll hear songs that you have never heard before, as well as some of your Summer of Love favorites commemorating the musical landscape between 1967 and 1969. Hear the greatest hits from The Doors, Donovan, The Rolling Stones, The Hollies, Country Joe and The Fish, Cream, The Beach Boys, Otis Redding, The Byrds, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Beatles, and more, led by the brilliant music direction of Glen Burtnik and played by an ensemble of gifted, local talent!